UTS Think Global

My Exchange Journey

October 4, 2017

Hectic, eventful or was it undeniably nerve-wrecking? I must say, the process and planning for my exchange program has been a bit of all of the above. My destination? All the way across the sea, a small country made up of four main islands, the country of Japan. Hi, my name is Roger and I am currently on exchange in Japan. I have been interested in Japan ever since high school, as I first got introduced to the language in year 8. Ever since then I have kept up (kind of) with my Japanese studies as I grew more and more fascinated with its culture, its people, and more than anything else, wishing to visit there someday. When UTS offered me for an opportunity to go on exchange to Japan, how could I say no? So, I started my planning for my exchange, full of anxiety whilst at the same time, excited for whats to come.

I suggest that if you are going to Japan, please get all your documents ready well before the required date, especially if you are going to Meiji University. Two weeks before the required date, UTS International called me and said “Meiji have just asked me if you could get everything done by tomorrow”. Now, at this point I have nothing completed, in fact, I didn’t even think about it very much. Somehow I managed to get everything done by the following Monday and my application was sent off. Meiji University replied after what seemed like years and possibly at the latest time possible, that I got accepted and now I have more paperwork to do (yay!).

After arriving in Japan the first thing I thought was, now where to kill time for a hour or so. Having to check in at Izumi Housing (the best one) sometime between 9 – 3:30, I arrived at Haneda Airport around 5am local time and exited customs around 7am. Since it’s only around 1 hr from Haneda to Izumi Housing, I recommend you to get your flight to Haneda, (if you can of course). Haneda is also closer to all the other housing Meiji University provides, so it is the better choice out of the two airports, Haneda and Narita. I took a taxi since I had a lot of luggage – the first surprise I received in Japan was that the taxi doors are automated!

Izumi Housing is great because you get your own room, toilet and even a small balcony! Its location is close to stations any shops and you’ll never get thirsty! Japan’s streets are filled with vending machines with drinks for around one to two dollars per drink!

Last Saturday I went to Shinjuku and Shibuya, where I saw Godzilla and a shrine. Looking up at Godzilla just takes your breath away. I also stopped by many arcade or game centres, filled with crane machines. In Japan there are pachinkos (gambling machines) with various anime themes and game centres – so you can tell what Japanese people like. I also got to witness a Japanese wedding ceremony at the shrine in Shibuya. Sadly I couldn’t take any photos but it was a great experience.

To conclude, Japan has been a wonderful experience for me, the culture, the people have all been very nice and interesting. Orientation for Meiji will start in two days, so I hope I get to meet new people and practice my Japanese!

Roger Hu 12559567, Bachelor of Global Studies, Meiji University, Japan
Plymouth, England

October 3, 2017

Hey from England! I’m currently ‘studying’ my way into the second week of lectures at Plymouth University and it’s about time for my first blog. My trip actually started about six weeks ago, where I travelled through parts of Wales with a few friends, and escaped to Portugal to snatch up that last bit of European summer. Firstly, I was surprised to find that Wales actually had more to offer than sheep and rainy days. Instead, I was greeted with beautiful, green countryside, little old cottages and historic castles at every turn.

Portugal was especially exciting as it was my first time backpacking as a solo traveller. I was worried I’d get lost, lose my baggage, miss my flights and end up crying in my hostel bed. But in reality, I only missed two trains and lost one key to my hotel room so it could be worse! In the end, I met so many new interesting people and never once felt helpless or scared and I highly recommend the experience.

Once I landed back in the country of her Majesty the Queen, I knew the time had come to get settled into my home for the next five months. My initial shock was, of course, the weather. So far, the average temperature has been around 16 degrees! Yet somehow, the English have a way of convincing themselves that it’s warm, and they walk around in Hawaiian shirts, shorts and ‘flip-flops’ (I’ve made the mistake of calling them thongs before). As a result, I’ve quickly learnt to always keep an umbrella with me because even if there’s not a single cloud in sight, you are never safe from rain… never.

On the contrary, the people here have been very warm and welcoming towards me. The university is full of fun activities and clubs to join, with a great nightlife. Most students live about a 15 minutes walk away so it’s easy to keep in touch with new friends and course mates. All in all, I’m beginning to feel settled in.

Okay, bye for now! I’ll keep you posted.

Lucia Langen (98106115)

Bachelor of Education

Plymouth University, England.
Ahoj From Prague!

September 26, 2017

To be completely honest, I am surprised that I made it to Prague after the lack of planning and preparation completed in Sydney.

Going as a group of 4, Gerard, Jayesh, Phong and myself set off for the 24 hour journey towards Spain in an effort to get away from the cold weather of Sydney. Being my first time in Europe, I didn’t know what to expect of a continent consisting of so many different cultures, languages and perspectives.

Arriving in Barcelona, we decided to cycle around the city and up a mountain in 38 degree weather for some reason. I remember thinking that exchange is about doing different things and having many stories of near death experiences from a variety of situations. Following Barcelona was Ibiza, known as one of the most famous party islands in the world.

Jumping off a cliff into crystal clear water (with the added bonus of Phong almost dying from rocks near the surface), partying with the likes of Kygo, Lost Frequencies, Oliver Nelson and Jonas Blue, and rocking side to side in a party boat were the main highlights of this intensely energetic island. It was strange to see a different way of living (and partying) across the world. Sleep deprived and aching everywhere, our next destination was Milan.

We purposely slotted in Milan to attempt to recover after Ibiza. In a super cool hostel, we met a bunch of new people (and reunited with fellow Australians), had pasta and lasagne and saw the beautiful architecture that the city had to offer. We continued our relaxation into the Greek Islands.

Facing the East, we were finally able to see the beautiful ocean sunset we have been deprived of from living in Sydney. Eating good food, walking along the beach and forcing Jayesh to take photos of me for Instagram, Paros was a refreshingly calm island that gave fantastic haircuts.

From Paros, we continued onto Mykonos. Seeing the famous windmills, driving into a ditch with ATVs and sipping on Bacardi + Sprite (courtesy of Gerard) with a view of the ocean from our villa, this island was a pleasant way to end the pre-adventures of Prague.

So far, Prague has been wonderfully eye-opening with its unique people, culture and language that allows me to grow outside of my comfort zone. I am both excited and frightened by the prospect of living here for 4 months, but am glad to be surrounded by such diverse individuals.

After being in Europe for almost a month now, you start to miss random things from Sydney like free water in a restaurant (you have to pay for it), accessible toilets (normally paid again) and English on packaging when you go shopping (took us 20 minutes to find out the difference between butter and margarine).

I am not exactly sure what to expect within the next few months but hope that I come home with new stories, adventures and perspectives on… everything.

Yong Rhee – 97116317

Bachelor of Information Technology, Co-Op

University of Economics, Prague
Hello Seoul!

September 26, 2017

Hi all!

So I’ve been in Seoul for almost two weeks now. When I first got here I was a mix of feeling excited and slightly overwhelmed at the whole idea of living in another country on my own for an extended period of time! But despite the inevitable nervous feelings I knew that it was going to be one of the best experience and decision I’ll ever make!

Fortunately for me, the whole process of preparing for this exchange before my departure date has been very smooth and easy! My acceptance package came very early and I was granted my visa within a week! I was a little stressed with the whole enrolment process for my host university as I was told by a few different people that it was going to be very competitive and not always easy to get in the subjects I’d initially want. However, I made sure that I was very well prepared before the opening of enrolment date, and thankfully I was able to enrol in all my desired subjects in the first 15 minutes! As I need to complete a total of 18cp, that is equivalent to 4 subjects at Sogang University. For my electives I’ve chosen to study one Korean language subject which I feel would help me get around and experience Korea better by learning the basics. I’m currently also doing psychology, sociology and religion and culture subjects which were the options that were most interesting to me and now I know I made the right choice!

In terms of accommodation I’m living in on campus in the dorms, which is definitely a very new and exciting experience for me! As I got here a few days earlier I was able to meet up with a few other Sogang students and we did a bit of travelling and exploring around Seoul! We visited Gyeongbokgung Palace, National Folk museum Jogyesa temple, Bukchon Village, Myeongdong shopping district and many many more!! I’m also really enjoying the food here! Korean bbq all day err day!! My sogang group also recently watched the movie “Train to Busan” and now we are all planning a Busan trip to go to this weekend!! I will be sure to take many pictures and post updates on my experience and adventures!

Till my next post,

Jenny (Ngoc Yen) Nguyen (12031629)

Bachelor of Management in Events and Leisure

Sogang University

South Korea, Republic of
Vienna, Austria

September 21, 2017

A month into my travelling and exchange experience and I’d like to say that this has been one of the most amazing experiences! From travelling across five countries in the last month, to staying and mingling with people from around the world – my experience thus far has taught me many life skills and endowed moments that I would never be able to experience back home.

Furthermore, adapting to non-English speakers and really making an effort to understand how everyday things work, like public transport – it is an experience that makes you more aware of your surroundings and how things around the world function. Not only that, being able to witness iconic moments and diverse aspects of culture has been surreal. I had the opportunity to bask in the juices of tomatoes during the Tomatina Festival, indulge in the authentic sangria of Spain, hike on the islands of Portugal’s Azores, sightsee the incredible infrastructure of European churches and even witness the place the Queen calls home – Buckingham Palace. But this was merely the opportunities awarded to me prior to the actual study aspect of exchange commencing.

Whilst I am still settling in, it is such an incredibly challenging but rewarding experience. Living independently teaches you how to manage life on a day to day basis, from thinking about the timing of your laundry to doing all your groceries on Saturday because everything is closed on Sunday, to learning how to budget and interact with individuals from all around the world. This experience is truly eye opening and something I am already grateful for as I learn how to ‘adult’, be independent but most importantly have fun!

Being able to understand the similarities across cultures provides a sense of solace as you learn how connected and globalised the world actually is, from pop music to my favourite cultural foods, everything has been available beyond Australia. On the other hand, understanding the differences that exist beyond the global barriers of home has been an enlightening experience. Learning about the implications on the cost of living as a result of the exchange rate and the importance of religion that still infiltrates the mindset of Europeans is something you fail to realise in the confines of your home.

Whilst many of these things were theoretically understood by me before the commencement of Exchange, this experience has truly solidified this understanding as I witness these things play out in reality. I can’t wait to see how things change and how I evolve over the next coming months!

Khawab Bhatia
97116444
Bachelor of Accounting
Wirtschafts Universitat Wien
Vienna, Austria
Hong Kong – The perfect blend of vibes

September 21, 2017

As I stepped foot off my flight onto the island that is Hong Kong I took it all in.

Looking out I could see a city/ country that wasn’t quite a concrete jungle, rather a juxtaposed image of modernity meets nature. Hong Kong is the perfect blend of east meets west. A mix of cultures and an awesome vibe.

Currently been here for just under 2 weeks and having lived in the dorms for 1 of those I already feel at home. I am amidst my first week of classes at Hong Kong Polytechnic, and have already felt so inspired and driven. I study fashion and textiles at UTS and having access to the facilities and subjects here has been so motivating and uplifting. Our orientation events and presidents welcome were awesome opportunities to socialize and to get to know the university. The school really knows how to make us feel welcome and at ease. (Oh and the students have some awesome and interesting talents – artistic cycling is one of these!)

One thing I have learned about Hong Kong is the fact that they can fit soooooo much into a very small place! Everything is well connected, getting around is super easy and each area has its quirks and perks. From temples hidden between skyscrapers to street markets filled with anything and everything!

I have been so busy and stimulated by this place that I haven’t felt home sick yet (And I feel like I won’t!).

So far I have been able to explore the various markets here, the amazing array of food and a few of the many temples here.

Even though within the time I have been here I have experienced two typhoons Hong Kong isn’t scaring me away and I look forward to continuing this exchange journey with studying at PolyU as well as traveling around Hong Kong and Asia.

Here’s to the next few months!

CHHAYA NAIK (12591549)

BACHELOR OF DESIGN IN FASHION AND TEXTILES

THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, HONG KONG
My first 28 days in Singapore…

September 20, 2017

It’s been 28 days since I landed in Singapore, and also 28 days since I last had a coffee. If you’re a black coffee drinker, don’t panic (but sorry if like me, you like nice fresh milk in your coffee!! 😐).

But all jokes aside, Singapore has been amazing so far. Even in this first month I feel like I’ve adapted to the ultra humid climate, and the uni life at Nanyang Technological University (NTU). I can’t thank enough my fellow UTS exchangers at NTU who I’ve been honoured to share the excitement (and some stresses!) of this journey with.

Arriving in Singapore

Our exchange gang took the first Singapore Airlines flight out of Sydney, and landed exactly on schedule around 2:15pm. Getting through the airport was a breeze, just make sure you have your IPA Approval letter and NTU enrolment letter handy.

At the airport we purchased prepaid sim cards and EzyLink cards (kind of like Opal), and were ready to roll. We took an Uber to campus (which is literally on the other side of the country) and checked-in to our respective halls. Honestly a super easy process, just make sure you get to the hall admin office before the office closure time (hence catching the first flight).

Living on-campus

This is my first time living on campus and I’m loving it. It’s a great way to be super close to class, friends and all the university action. NTU has an extremely active campus life, and most students are involved in loads of co-curricular activities (CCAs). More on the CCAs later.

The campus is packed with food courts and facilities, and best of all, food is CHEAP and facilities like the gym and pool are FREE! Admittedly I was in shock, being used to home where everything has a price tag!

I should mention the campus is enormous, like a community in itself (a bit like UNSW). Unlike UTS where you walk through the city streets to get to class, NTU is virtually self-contained. In saying that, there are lots of free campus loop buses and paid public buses to help you get around without raising too much of a sweat in the climate.

The local students are also super duper friendly and kind, but you might need to initiate the conversation first as they’re a little shy 😀

Enrolment & subjects

I’m enrolled in 3 subjects at NTU: Chinese, Arabic and Business Operations & Processes. I’m taking these subjects as my final electives before graduation (yay!). I’m loving the classes and the lovely classmates I’ve become acquainted with.

A word of warning: the NTU Add/Drop process is awful, and you’ll appreciate the easy-peasy UTS system so much more once you’ve experienced this (trust me). This was probably the only stressful experience I’ve had so far on exchange, since subjects aren’t finalised prior to the semester commencing, and are allocated based on random computer allocation, rather than first-come-first-serve. HOWEVER, everything does work out in the end, and there is help available from the uni if you’re still stuck towards the end of Add/Drop week.

University life: academic workload

My 3 subjects are worth 10 academic units (AUs) here in Singapore, which is basically equivalent to 18 CPs back home. You’ll find the local students take around 20 AUs (which is CRAZY 😐), but I’d recommend just sticking to the minimum load required by UTS. This way you can enjoy Singaporean life, CCAs and do some travels without being bogged down with too much study.

University life: CCAs

CCAs are basically clubs and societies at uni and the locals are involved in heaps. Personally I’ve joined the NTU Archers, Shooters and Navigators, which I thought were a nice mix of things I do at home, plus trying something new. Singaporeans don’t take commitment lightly, so make sure you’re willing and able to attend ALL the trainings and meetings before signing up!!

I think that pretty much summarises my first 28 days in Singapore from a logistical and academic perspective, and hopefully I’ve given you some meaningful insight into exchange life at NTU and in Singapore! Next blog post I’ll let you know about how my subjects are going, and some travel we’ve got planned during the mid-semester break 😀

Monica Axiak
11998604
Bachelor of Business
Nanyang Technological University
Singapore
Pre-exchange travels – see you soon Berlin!

September 20, 2017

Road tripping, hiking and camping with a Swedish friend in the southern county of Skåne, Sweden

I have been travelling around northern Europe for six weeks already and there are just two weeks left until I arrive in Berlin for my exchange. It’s mid September now and most other UTS exchange students will have just started their studies, but Germany seems to be the odd one out; its winter semester commences at the beginning of October. For me, that works out just fine. More time for travels!

My exchange host university is the Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft (HTW) Berlin. Not that anyone has actually asked my reasoning or questioned my choice, but my primary motivation for an exchange in Germany was to improve my High German. And I feel that Berlin speaks for itself when it comes to why I chose the city.

Alpine tour with my Swiss biathlete friends in Wallis, Switzerland

Once I was accepted to HTW Berlin, I started thinking about accomodation. I was initially keen to move into a WG (‘Wohngemeinschaft’, or share house) and tapped into all my German contacts and Facebook share house groups for information and to start the search. In the end, HTW’s student accomodation was the most affordable option on the cards. Not to mention, the application process was bafflingly simple and it’s a great opportunity to experience living around so many students. I’m excited to move into my room when I arrive in Berlin. It’s a private room with a small kitchen and bathroom. But right now, I’m still on the road…

I’ve travelled broadly before (a 15 month gap year around Europe), so I had no pre-departure fear of taking on the world alone. Packing is always a pickle though, regardless how seasoned a traveller you are. So many small decisions to make. Ultimately, less is more. So, the day after uni finished and the day before my flight, I packed my rucksack with two months of hiking and travelling in mind, as well as life in Berlin. Even with my large back pack, I knew all I really needed were my passports (Swiss dual citizenship meant I didn’t need a visa), my travel card and my phone. Plus, a laptop for uni.

Walking along the mind blowing(ly windy) Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

I started my journey hopping around Switzerland, either hiking in the Alps alone, or planning the next hike with local friends. Then onwards to England and Ireland, where I played in an annual International Ultimate Frisbee Tournament, called the Dublin Golden Cup. I thank the heavens for alternative methods of travel and the endlessly kind people who facilitate it, because social networking and Couch Surfing have taken care of me (and my bank account) for six weeks as I’ve travelled through Switzerland, England, Ireland, Sweden, and a small stint in Denmark. I’m now sitting in Keflavik Airport (Reykjavik), Iceland, about to head off on an 11 day road trip across to Egilsstadir on the east coast. Then, at long last, I’ll be excited to fly to Berlin and begin student life and studies!

Masterclass – The team I played with at the Dublin Golden Cup 2017

Julia Spragg, 98053539, Bachelor of Communication (Public Communication) Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation, Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin, Germany
Lund!

September 19, 2017

Hej,

After an amazing 5 weeks travelling around Europe, it has been nice to settle down in Lund, a small university town in the south of Sweden. Almost everything in Lund is centred around the student life which is a really nice change to the busy city of Sydney.

The university has an amazing introduction program for international students, with international mentors taking us all the way from Copenhagen airport (which is just a 40 minute train ride away) to the door steep of our student accommodation (if you were lucky enough to get some!). On that note, student accommodation is quite hard to come by in Lund and isn’t guaranteed so be prepared to be very active in your search for housing to avoid couch surfing for the first month or so.

The 2 week orientation was filled with activities ranging from treasure hunts, hiking and canoe trips, sports days, language cafes, movie nights, music festivals and of course many parties at the student nations. The nations are similar to fraternities and sororities in the US however are a lot less exclusive. Everyone has to choose one to join one, however you can still attend any of the events run by all the other nations. The nations hold events such as brunches, lunches (which are very cheap and save you from cooking), pool parties, sports, quiz nights, games nights, pub nights and club nights.

The first thing ever student does when they arrive in Lund is get a bike! It is by far the best mode of transport, as long as your bike has working brakes and a chain that doesn’t fall off every few rides! Despite my accommodation being 4km from the centre of town, it is only a 10 minute ride to class and within 20 minutes you can reach any part of the town.

So far, after a week of classes (which is only about 6-8 hours of class) the lecturers have been really friendly and helpful. I am doing mainly SAS courses, which are specially for exchange students and include subjects such as Swedish Economic Development and Swedish Society and Everyday Life. For my first course the only assessment is a final paper, which you can resit if you fail!

Feel free to contract me during the semester if you are considering going on exchange to Lund in the future!

Jennifer Grabs (98035153)

Bachelor of Accounting

Lund University, Sweden
Blog 1 – Preparation

September 19, 2017

Welcome to the first blog in which I will be recounting my preparations for my exchange to Japan and my expectations before leaving.

It has been a long time in the planning, I first started to look into the exchange program approximately a year ago. There has been a lot of preparation required to get to this point. The various workshops held by the UTS Global Exchange section have been of great help. Especially useful was the pre-departure workshop in which you could hear from past exchange student’s experiences.

Having been to all the workshops, applied for and received my visa, booked flights and done all my research I now find the day of my flight to Japan is rapidly approaching and I am very much looking forward to the experience of spending an entire semester studying at Hokkaido University of Education at the Hakodate campus.

The Japanese semesters start later than in Australia. The semester starts in early October 2017 with various orientations that I am required to attend in September. The semester then lasts all the way until February 2018. As such I will get the experience the Japanese seasons of autumn and winter.

The enrollment process has been smooth and straight forward. And on the accommodation front, for roughly $AUS 300 a month you can utilise the university provided apartments. From the details provided these have shared facilities with private bedrooms. As such these are very reasonably priced.

Hakodate is the southernmost city on the northern island of Hokkaido and as of 2015 is now serviced directly by the Japan Rail shinkansen (bullet trains, see image below).

As such it is possible to take a train from Tokyo (which is where I will be landing from my flight) direct to Hakodate, approximately 800km’s in a little over four hours. Previously it was necessary to stop at the city of Aomori and then swap to express trains to get to the northern island, this made the journey somewhat longer as a result (see image below).

Being on the northern island also means that the untouched wilderness of the region is also on your door step, along with very cold snowy winters. Locations like Onuma are but a short train ride away (see image below).

The focus of my studies will be a mix of Japanese language and cultural subjects. I cannot wait to spend the semester studying in Japan and being able to work with and share my experiences with the other students. My level of Japanese comprehension is fairly basic so this will be quite the challenge but one that I cannot wait to start.

It is this combination of location, along with a relatively smaller city environment and therefore its more intimate university setting and the subjects on offer that had me choose Hokkaido University of Education to be my home for the coming semester.

Daniel Chow (12593556)

UTS Degree: Bachelor in Photography and Situated Media

Host university: Hokkaido University of Education, Hakodate Campus

Exchange country: Japan

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